Chicago Tour Bus Accident Lawyer

If you were hurt in a Chicago tour bus or charter bus crash, liability can fall on several parties: the driver, the bus company, the tour operator or charter broker that arranged the trip, a maintenance contractor, another motorist, or the bus manufacturer. Illinois law generally gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a claim, so it pays to talk to a Chicago tour bus accident lawyer early. 

How a Chicago Tour Bus Accident Lawyer Can Help

Tour buses are an iconic sight along Chicago’s roadways, including Michigan Avenue and State Street. However, these large vehicles can lead to serious injuries or death during crashes. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus collision, a tour bus accident lawyer from our firm is here to support you. Contact us today for a free consultation about your legal options.

What Types of Tour and Charter Bus Accidents Do We Handle?

“Tour bus” is really an umbrella term. We handle claims involving sightseeing buses, chartered trips, intercity coaches, and casino shuttles because the vehicle classes, operator obligations, and injury patterns are largely the same across all four.

Sightseeing and hop-on-hop-off tours. These buses run the Loop, Michigan Avenue, Navy Pier, and the architecture and river tour routes. Heavy foot traffic along these corridors leads to frequent conflicts with pedestrians and cyclists at crossings, as well as boarding and step injuries when the bus is stopped for a tour stop.

Charter buses. Companies, schools, and event organizers hire charter buses for school trips, weddings, corporate events, and sports team travel. Liability may reach both the bus company and the organization that chartered it, since the group renting the bus can share responsibility for how the trip was planned and supervised. We see this dynamic often in school bus accident claims, where a school district and a transportation contractor are named together, similar to how we secured compensation from both the school and the transit company in the Jose case below. 

Intercity and express buses. Services like Megabus and Greyhound run in and out of Chicago on tight schedules. Our megabus accident lawyer look closely at driver hours in these cases, because higher highway speeds and long shifts on intercity routes raise the risk of fatigue-related crashes.

Casino and event buses. Buses run passengers to casinos in Des Plaines, Aurora, Joliet, and northwest Indiana, and to stadium and festival events downtown. These trips overlap with our shuttle bus accident claims work, since both involve scheduled group transportation with frequent stops, quick loading, and a higher risk of falls while passengers are boarding or getting off.

Settlements Recovered by Our Chicago Bus Accident Lawyers

$1,000,000: Tracy was crossing Milwaukee Avenue when a sightseeing bus hit her, causing severe pelvic fractures. We held the tour bus company liable for negligent supervision.

$450,000: Alexander was on a bus driving along the Chicago River when the vehicle struck a bollard. He was thrown from his seat and suffered a serious concussion. Our bus accident attorneys in Chicago demonstrated that the bus driver was distracted, leading to the crash.

$250,000: Jose was on a field trip with his fifth-grade class to the Shedd Aquarium. He was about to sit down when the driver accelerated, throwing him off balance and resulting in a broken arm. We secured compensation from both the school and the transit company for this school bus accident.

What Affects the Value of a Tour Bus Accident Claim?

Factors that influence the value of your claim include available insurance, liability, evidence, and total damages. Our attorneys will negotiate with the insurance company for damages such as medical bills, lost income, physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of normal life.

Example Tour Bus Accident Cases

In a New York case, author Devan Sipher, 50, was hit by a tour bus executing a left turn as he was crossing the street. He had to be extracted from underneath the bus and suffered severe injuries, including a fractured leg and shoulder. After undergoing multiple surgeries, Sipher was diagnosed with foot drop, a partial paralysis of the leg muscles that makes it difficult to lift his foot. The bus company’s defense attempted to diminish his injuries by claiming he was able to travel, but a jury awarded Sipher $85,000,000.00. [

In a Pennsylvania case, Alan Huang, 18, was a college student walking in a marked crosswalk with an illuminated pedestrian sign. The area had heavy foot traffic due to its proximity to a hospital, university, and business district. Tour bus driver James Jones had a green light but failed to check the crosswalk for pedestrians, leading him to run over Huang. The bus’s right front tire ran over Huang’s left leg, leading to a partial amputation and severe crush injuries. A jury awarded Huang $4,581,503.82. 

What Laws Govern Tour Bus Crashes in Chicago?

Tour bus companies are required to follow local, federal, and Illinois law. Firstly, all motor vehicle traffic in Chicago must abide by a 30 mph speed limit (9-12-070), and public passenger vehicles must be regularly inspected (9-114-155).

Any commercial vehicle, including tour buses, must abide by federal motor vehicle standards (49 CFR Subpart B). These include occupant crash protection, side impact protection, minimum roof crush resistance, and rollover protection.

You often ask can I sue a tour bus company? The Illinois Vehicle Code applies to tour bus companies in addition to private passenger vehicles. Any vehicle cannot exceed a speed that is safe for current traffic conditions, which is particularly important during inclement weather (625 ILCS 5/11-601).

Our bus accident attorneys in Chicago can hold tour bus companies and their employees liable. Per the court case McQueen v. Lavonta M. Green, employers can be both directly and vicariously liable for a driver’s actions.

Common Carrier Duty in Tour and Charter Bus Accidents

A tour or charter bus operator carrying passengers for hire is a common carrier under Illinois law, which means it owes passengers the highest degree of care consistent with the practical operation of the bus, not merely the ordinary care owed by a typical driver. This heightened duty does not stop once the bus is moving. 

It extends to boarding and alighting, to the condition of the aisle and steps, and to protecting passengers from foreseeable hazards while the bus is stopped, which is where a large share of tour bus injuries actually happen. In the Jose case above, the driver accelerated before a young passenger was seated, a clear example of this duty being broken during boarding rather than during the drive itself. You can learn more about how this duty applies to riders by understanding bus passenger accident claims.

The Illinois personal injury statute of limitations is two years after the date of the tour bus accident (735 ILCS 5/13-202). If the injured party is under 18, then the statute of limitations is tolled until they turn 18 (735 ILCS 5/13-211). For fatal bus crashes, the next of kin has two years after the date of death to file a claim (740 ILCS 180/).

How a Chicago Tour Bus Accident Attorney Can Help

Our motor vehicle accident attorneys in Chicago will ensure tour bus companies and their employees are held accountable for your injuries. We will secure valuable evidence, such as medical records, police reports, and witness statements, to demonstrate liability, then begin negotiations with the applicable insurance company.

Many cases settle out of court. However, sometimes the insurance company will refuse to offer a fair settlement. Our Super Lawyers® are members of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association with a strong track record in both negotiations and trial verdicts. We have a 98% success rate and have secured over $450 million for injury victims throughout Chicagoland and Illinois.

If you’ve been injured in a bus accident, you don’t have to face the legal process alone. Our attorneys are here to support your healing journey and will handle all third-party communications on your behalf, ensuring you can focus on recovery.

We work on a contingency fee basis: no fees unless we win. To schedule a free consultation with an experienced attorney, call us today.

FAQs

What are the bus accident statistics for Chicago?

Bus accident statistics show how dangerous these vehicles can be. In Chicago during 2023, the Illinois Department of Transportation reported 643 crashes for buses with 9 to 15 seats. Of these accidents, 91 resulted in injuries, and 1 accident was fatal. For buses with over 15 seats, there were 1,862 crashes, including 6 fatalities and 316 injuries.

What are the most common causes of bus accidents?

The most common causes of bus accidents include the following.

Distracted Driving: Drivers may be talking to passengers, checking their GPS, or using their cell phones. Handheld electronic device usage is illegal for any driver (625 ILCS 5/12-610.2), but many still use them.

Speeding: The city speed limit is 30 mph, but some drivers may rush to complete their shifts and raise the risk of an accident.

Fatigue: Drowsy driving slows reaction times, making it more difficult to avoid road hazards. Tour bus companies may push drivers to work long shifts, increasing the risk of serious crashes.

Mechanical Failures: Inadequate vehicle maintenance or defective parts can lead to brake failures, tire blowouts, or stalling.

Blind Spots and Wide Turns: Buses have larger blind spots and must make wider turns, which can lead to collisions at crosswalks or in parking lots.

Who is liable if I am hurt on a chartered bus trip?

The bus company and driver are typically the first parties we look at, but liability can also reach the organization that chartered the bus, such as a school, employer, or event planner, and any broker that arranged the trip. The contract between the bus company and the group that hired it often determines who carries the insurance coverage that applies to your injury. Our charter bus accident lawyer  review that paperwork early so we know who to pursue from the start. 

How long do I have to file a tour bus accident claim in Illinois?

In most cases, Illinois gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury claim under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. That deadline is tolled if the injured person is a minor, and wrongful death claims carry their own two-year window from the date of death. The timeline can be shorter if a public entity, such as a city-run bus service, is involved. For better understanding, you can know about public versus private bus accident claims.